Preferred Events Long Island has partnered with National Event Connection to enhance its event planning services. This collaboration leverages the strengths of both companies, combining Preferred Events’ local expertise with National Event Connection’s extensive network and resources. Together, they offer a full range of event planning solutions, from corporate events to private celebrations. Through this partnership, clients benefit from a broader range of services, including advanced technology, innovative design and seamless execution.
By joining forces, Preferred Events and National Event Connection aim to deliver unforgettable experiences and ensure each event is tailored to the specific needs and desires of their clients. We spoke with Nick Mattera, President of Preferred Events, and Will Bruner, CEO of National Event Connection, about their collaboration, their services, and their role as exclusive partners of the 2024 Dan’s Taste Summer Series.
How did you get into this profession?
William Bruner: I started in the restaurant side of the business, working in catering, until I eventually found myself on the other side of the entertainment business. From there, it just started to thrive, evolve, and become what National Event Connection is today.
Nick Mattera: I started in the entertainment side of the DJ world as a side business and eventually gave that up to focus more on renting things out, tents, tables, chairs and so on. That was about 10 years ago and I’ve gone from a side business to a full-fledged full-time business with employees and warehouses and things like that. But that was about 10 years ago now.
What sets Preferred Events apart from the competition?
NM: Our attention to detail and our customer-centric focus. In the tent world, a lot of the products are the same. It’s a little different to DJs where it comes down to individual talent. So you can buy a 20′ x 40′ tent or other sized tents from the same manufacturer, but it’s the way it’s set up, who sets it up and the process from booking to the day of the event that we’re really proud of and that sets us apart in that way.
Can you describe your range of services?
WB: We take care of everything: lighting, staging, sound, entertainment, tents, decorations, furniture rental. We can cover most of what you might need for any type of event, apart from the food and maybe the florist.
NM: We have power needs, so generators, we can heat in the winter, air conditioning in the summer, we plan the event, we kind of plan it, a really full-fledged event production from start to finish between the two companies is kind of the ultimate goal. And like Will said, we don’t cook the food, we provide the cooking equipment, so we rent catering equipment.
What type of event do you specialize in?
NM: We focus on high-profile social events and corporate events. That’s our bread and butter because there are a lot of different types of companies like us, from those that just focus on little backyard things to big companies that work on huge events like the Super Bowl. And we focus on high-profile local social events and local corporate events, but the corporate portion of that goes beyond New York State. Will can kind of attest to that, but we’ve been to over a dozen states doing corporate events across the country.
Can you tell us about some of the most memorable events you were involved in and what made them unique?
WB: We work with St. Jude a lot, so we get to do some really great events with them. We’ve been involved with a lot of graduations of different college events where we’ve been able to really help out. On top of that, with our fundraising department, the casino, casino entertainment and things like that, we get to raise money for so many different great causes. We work really closely with the Ovarian Cancer Society and we get to help them put on a really good fundraiser. I love the fundraisers. I really think they make a difference and are just great for bringing the community together.
NM: As far as the social side goes, weddings in general are my favorite events. They’re usually the happiest days of people’s lives. You only see them once coming into the tent or the venue where everything is set up and you only see the look on their faces once. It’s usually a big smile, everyone is happy and something as joyful as that doesn’t happen very often. So it’s nice to always see that too.
What current trends in the event planning industry do you think might be exciting?
NM: A lot of people want custom things where they have something they saw and they just want it built. So it’s not a rental anymore, it’s more like, “Hey, I saw this really cool sushi restaurant and I want my backyard to look like that restaurant,” and we would build a sushi bar in their backyard from scratch. So there’s a lot of custom work.
Are there any memorable moments from your work at the Dan’s Taste events this summer?
NM: We could talk about GrillHampton this past weekend. It was unforgettable in that it was pouring with rain but everyone was still out dancing and having fun and some of the equipment got wet but at the end of the day the guests had a good time no matter what the weather was like which I think is a true testament to what a great event the team put on. Because it was such a great event and the DJ played great music and the band had a lot of fun, it didn’t matter that three inches of rain was pounding down on them, they still danced until 1am.
For more information about Preferred Events, visit preferredeventsli.com. For more information about National Event Connection, visit nationaleventconnection.com.
